Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Haw River near Bynum

Highest listed crest 23.20 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft33 crests since 1975

The Haw River near Bynum crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1975 to 2025. The highest, 23.20 ft on July 7, 2025, was major flooding, 12.20 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.20 ft
July 7, 2025; 98,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
8
10th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
July 7, 2025
23.20 ft, major flooding
Location
Chatham County
Near Carrboro (11.5 mi), Chapel Hill (12.4 mi), Apex (14.6 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Haw River near Bynum
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.019May 30, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.06Aug 9, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.08Jul 7, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1975 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Haw River near Bynum, 1975 to 2025 10152025ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Mar 14, 1975: 17.67 ft, major flooding; 45,800 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1979: 11.18 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1982: 12.46 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1982: 13.16 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1982: 15.50 ft, moderate flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 15.77 ft, moderate flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 13.91 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1986: 14.49 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 17.40 ft, major flooding; 46,800 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1989: 14.61 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1989: 13.34 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1990: 14.31 ft, minor flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 12.68 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1994: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 21.76 ft, major flooding; 76,700 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1998: 17.72 ft, major flooding; 46,300 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 12.50 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2003: 16.87 ft, moderate flooding; 41,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2010: 15.00 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2016: 14.98 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2017: 16.10 ft, moderate flooding; 35,500 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 17.42 ft, major flooding; 50,700 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2018: 12.13 ft, minor flooding; 22,446 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 2018: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 20,448 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2018: 17.49 ft, major flooding; 51,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 17.40 ft, major flooding; 50,668 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 2021: 11.26 ft, minor flooding; 18,252 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2021: 11.88 ft, minor flooding; 21,221 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2024: 11.63 ft, minor flooding; 18,990 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2024: 15.80 ft, moderate flooding; 40,105 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 12.15 ft, minor flooding; 21,180 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2025: 11.74 ft, minor flooding; 19,443 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2025: 23.20 ft, major flooding; 98,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.20 ft, Jul 7, 2025 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Haw River near Bynum 1970s: 2 1980s: 9 9 1990s: 5 2000s: 2 2010s: 7 2020s: 8 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Haw River near Bynum
1Jul 7, 202523.20+12.20Major98,100
2Sep 6, 199621.76+10.76Major76,700
3Mar 19, 199817.72+6.72Major46,300
4Mar 14, 197517.67+6.67Major45,800
5Nov 13, 201817.49+6.49Major51,200
6Sep 17, 201817.42+6.42Major50,700
7Mar 1, 198717.40+6.40Major46,800
8Feb 7, 202017.40+6.40Major50,668
9Mar 21, 200316.87+5.87Moderate41,100
10Apr 25, 201716.10+5.10Moderate35,500
11Aug 9, 202415.80+4.80Moderate40,105
12Feb 14, 198415.77+4.77Moderate34,300
13Jun 11, 198215.50+4.50Moderate32,700
14Feb 6, 201015.00+4.00Moderate30,000
15Oct 9, 201614.98+3.98Minor—
16Mar 24, 198914.61+3.61Minor29,400
17Sep 29, 198614.49+3.49Minor27,100
18Mar 3, 199414.44+3.44Minor28,500
19Oct 23, 199014.31+3.31Minor27,800
20Aug 18, 198513.91+2.91Minor24,200
21Oct 2, 198913.34+2.34Minor22,500
22Jun 5, 198213.16+2.16Minor21,400
23Apr 22, 199212.68+1.68Minor19,600
24Mar 30, 200112.50+1.50Minor—
25Feb 4, 198212.46+1.46Minor18,800
26Sep 28, 202412.15+1.15Minor21,180
27Oct 13, 201812.13+1.13Minor22,446
28Feb 16, 202111.88+0.88Minor21,221
29May 30, 202511.74+0.74Minor19,443
30Nov 5, 201811.72+0.72Minor20,448
31May 15, 202411.63+0.63Minor18,990
32Jan 3, 202111.26+0.26Minor18,252
33Nov 12, 197911.18+0.18Minor14,500

The worst floods along the Haw River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Haw River that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 6, 1996: 21.76 ft here, major flooding

  • Haw RiverNC · Sep 6, 1996 · 32.83 ft · Major · its highest

November 13, 2018: 17.49 ft here, major flooding

  • Haw RiverNC · Nov 13, 2018 · 25.62 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Haw River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Haw River
Haw RiverNC18.032.83 ft, Sep 6, 19964
Bynum this gaugeNC11.023.20 ft, Jul 7, 20258

Other gauges in Chatham County

Flood gauges in Chatham County
Corinth15.020.02 ft, Feb 2, 19730
Siler City20.024.90 ft, Sep 17, 20180
Mount Vernon Springs12.012.62 ft, Sep 17, 20180

Chatham County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BYNN7, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.